Boys Don't Cry
by Just call me Blue
Summary: “Are you Vash the Stampede or not!” he demanded. Vash’s eyes flicked from his demanding stare to his white knuckled grip on the knife and back again. There was no way of getting out of the boy’s hold without possibly hurting him.
1. Wanderer

Ivey: This idea wouldn't leave me alone so I made Blue start it.

Blue: Don't worry we're not abandoning our other fics.

Ivey: Blue own Trigun? Pff… only in her dreams.

Boys Don't Cry

By Blue

Chapter One- Wanderer

Through the sweltering desert that was Gunsmoke a boy of twelve years trekked onward. Had anyone been able to see the youth they would have immediately questioned his sanity. Despite the blistering suns shining in the cloudless sky he wore a black, sleeveless shirt, dark jeans and heavy black boots. On his back was a weather-beaten green rucksack containing everything he owned: a change of clothes, a photograph, an empty canteen and forty double dollars. He paid no attention to the raw sunburn that covered his shoulders, neck and face. His blonde bangs clung to his sweaty forehead, but he didn't bother to brush them back. As the sunlight burned into his unprotected retinas he kept his steel gray eyes looking ahead where he could just barely make out a town on the horizon. He trudged on, one foot after the other, before collapsing facedown in the sand a mile outside of town.

* * *

It was merely by chance that Vash the Stampede saw the young boy as he stumbled down a sand dune and failed to rise. If he hasn't dropped a stack of dishes in a fit of clumsiness while working in the Café Turn Mill he wouldn't have gotten himself fired and literally thrown out. As he was picking himself up off the street and lamenting the fact that that was the third job he'd lost in a month he spotted something black in the otherwise tawny expanse of the desert. When he looked again he was surprised to find that the black thing that had caught his eye was in fact human shaped. And when the figure collapsed in the sand it took him all of two minutes to span the distance.

Vash was immensely surprised when he turned the person over to find that it was a young boy. With his cracked lips, unconscious state and severely burned skin he was clearly in rough shape. Slipping his arms beneath his back and legs, Vash scooped him up and hurried back to town wondering all the while how he'd managed to survive this long. The closest town was maybe thirty iles away and for him to walk all that way without dying from exposure was an impressive feat. He was lucky to only be suffering from dehydration, which could easily be treated.

When he reached his room at the shabby motel he'd been staying at recently he removed the burden of the boy's pack before gently laying him on the bed. Taking in his sweaty, dirty features Vash went to the bathroom and returned with a basin of water and a rag and set to work carefully cleaning his arms and neck. He left his face till last since it was the most badly burned and after re-wetting the wash cloth he gingerly wiped the sand and sweat from his skin. All through Vash's ministrations the boy flinched in unconscious pain and his eyes moved rapidly beneath his lids.

"Poor little guy…" the humanoid typhoon muttered he as finished and got up the find the salve he kept for just a case as this. The boy took a hissing breath and opened his eyes slightly when the salve that caused a cool tingly sensation was applied to his shoulders. His head lolled to the side and he looked at his caretaker through bleary eyes. Vash gave him a friendly smile and carefully rubbed more of the salve onto his tender arms. "Hey there. You know you really shouldn't travel through the desert all by yourself. It's dangerous out there. I'll bet you're thirsty. I'll get you some water."

The boy, lacking the energy to respond, just closed his eyes again however when Vash tried to apply the salve to his nose he cried out and turned his head away. Deciding to leave it for later the man got him a glass of water and helped him sit up. When the glass was put to his abused lips he greedily drank the cool liquid and whimpered when it was taken away after a moment.

"If you drink it too fast you'll get sick." The boy nodded and took small sips though he longed to gulp it down. "You know you're burned pretty bad. You should really let me put some of that stuff on your face. I know it stings but it'll help." When Vash attempted to do so the boy pulled back and grabbed the jar of salve.

"I can do it myself, thanks," he said hoarsely and set the glass down. The pain was blinding and the boy had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out. Vash watched him with a small smile. This kid was certainly tough.

"So why were you traveling through the desert by yourself?" the boy ignored the question as he rubbed the salve into his right cheek with a wince. "You must be determined to walk that whole way," he commented in an attempt to draw him into conversation, but he once again was ignored. "What's your name?"

"Noah," the boy replied shortly and held the jar out to him. Vash took it with a smile and set it on the bedside table. "Where am I?"

"You're in Toluca. Where are you headed?" Much to the gunman's annoyance he was once again ignored as the boy swung his legs off the bed and stood. "Uh… my name's Vash." At the introduction the boy stiffened and looked at him. He really looked at him for the first time and took in the spiky blonde hair, blue-green eyes and disarming smile.

"Vash? As in Vash the Stampede?" he inquired with a narrowing of his eyes.

"Ha ha ha! Ha… ha…. What gives you that idea?" he answered rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Noah's reaction was instantaneous. Though he was still weak from his journey through the desert he still managed to summon up the strength to swipe Vash's legs out from under him, effectively knocking him flat on his back, straddle his waist and pin his arms down with his knees. Vash stared at him aghast. 'That was unexpected,' he thought and then spoke aloud. "Hey calm down!"

The intensity of the hate in the boy's steely eyes as he stared into Vash's own was startling. His face was twisted in an expression that portrayed his unadulterated loathing for the man pinned beneath him. In response to Vash's attempt to placate him Noah pulled a knife from his boot and buried it in the floor next to the man's head, nicking his ear. The Humanoid Typhoon's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly as his blood trickled down the back of his ear into his hair. With his rumpled hair, flushed face and angry expression Noah looked wild and oddly familiar.

"Are you Vash the Stampede or not!" he demanded. Vash's eyes flicked from his demanding stare to his white knuckled grip on the knife and back again. There was no way of getting out of the blonde boy's hold without possibly hurting him. Not knowing what else to do Vash answered his question.

"…yes." At his confirmation several different emotions washed across his features that Vash couldn't discern. After a tense moment of silence Noah wretched the knife from the floor and stood with his feet on either side of Vash's torso. The boy glared down at him with the knife pointed towards the man's throat. Vash remained frozen on the floor with his eyes focused on the child who was shaking slightly from exhaustion and something else he couldn't place.

"Stay the fuck away from me you son of a bitch." And with that the boy quickly fled the room leaving Vash shocked, confused and in possession of his bag.

Blue: Please review!


	2. Photograph

Ivey: Wow… :raises an eyebrow: Over five reviews for the first chapter…. That's a record for us. I think we have a following.

Blue: Someone's following us:looks around frantically:

Ivey: Not like that stupid:smacks her in the back of the head: Ok reviews: **Cyllwen-** Wow is right. Here's another chapter. **Aine of Knockaine- **The truth shall be revealed when I feel like it. **Sugar Pill- **We're glad you likee.** MidgetMinion-** It is pretty damn cool. We've been meaning to write a fic that's action for the most part.

Blue: **AnimeFreaks13-** It's called suspense. It keeps the readers wanting more and we're surprisingly good at it. **Cinafran-** More interesting events to come! I promise!

Ivey: **Faery Goddyss**- Thanks and I don't like kids either. Annoying little brats…

Blue:** Bloodstained Hands**- We really are good at confusing the masses. Cliffhangers are fun! **Ibogal-** I have been cruel to keep you waiting. My apologies I can't help it. I'm mildly evil. **Crash Slayer- **I intend to press on:smiles: Thank you everyone for the reviews!

Ivey: Blue doesn't own Trigun, but she does own a picture of her hugging Travis Willingham :drool: Oh yeah… **Warning: This fic contains strong language. Don't like cursing? Go somewhere else. That is all.**

Boys Don't Cry

By Blue

Chapter Two- Photograph

Rather then the logical choice to take the stairs and leave through the front door Noah took the closest exit- the second story window at the end of the hall. He took a moment to slide his knife back into his boot before opening the window. The two by three-foot window has been painted shut several years before when the owner of the establishment had attempted to spruce the place up and Noah grunted as he strained to open it. After a moment the satisfying sound of the paint cracking reached his ears and the window jerked up a few inches.

"Wait!" Noah ignored the shout from the other end of the hall and forced the window open another foot. Sticking his head out he spotted the drainpipe to the left and hefted himself outside. He quickly clambered down the rusting pipe and jumped when he was five feet from the ground, landing on his feet shakily and almost tumbling. The child gained his balance quickly and took off down the street while Vash watched from the window, the boy's bag held loosely at his side.

"You forgot your stuff!" Vash called after him uselessly. The blonde gunman looked on as Noah turned a corner and then looked down at the rucksack. It was made of a faded green material that looked like it'd seen better days. One of the straps was torn and on the flap the initials N. S. were stitched in yellow thread. After a moment Vash closed the window and walked back to his room in thought. Once the door was closed he settled down on the floor with his back leaned against the bed and the bag in his lap.

'What was with that kid,' he thought as he fingered the tarnished metal clasp that kept to bag closed. The gunslinger was almost certain he'd never seen the boy before, but there was something about him and that look in his eyes; such hate filled eyes. His tone was so desperate and anguished, as if he didn't really want to know the answer to his question. The boy's face was etched in his mind's eye. The blonde hair in need of a trim, the flushed complexion of his burned face, the slight frown that graced his lips, the centimeter long scar below his left eye and those eyes… they were gray.

Questions swirled in his mind as he tried to place the boy; he'd met so many people in his long life. What had he done to cause such concentrated hate? When Vash had carried his light form from the merciless sand he'd looked so small and helpless. And when Noah woke Vash saw a boy desperate to be a man; a child alone in the world trying to prove he could take care of himself. As he did with everyone he met Vash wondered at his story. Why had he braved the harsh desert on foot? Why was he alone? Was he an orphan? A run away?

"N. S… Noah S…" he mused aloud and snapped the rucksack open. Perhaps there was something inside the bag that would give him a clue. The first item he withdrew was a tan colored canteen that turned out to be empty. Thinking that the boy might come back for his things once he cooled off Vash refilled the canteen with fresh water before sitting back down to examine the rest of the bag's contents. Beneath the canteen was change of clothes messily bundled up instead of folded, yet another sign of his youth. Children didn't often care if their clothes were wrinkled or clean for that matter. The shirt was black, identical the one he'd been wearing, while the pants, boxers and socks were nondescript. Vash folded them halfheartedly and set them to the side. There was nothing left in the large compartment of the bag so he checked the two smaller ones on the sides. In one he found a wad of cash rolled up and secured with a rubber band. In the other he found a photograph…

* * *

Noah wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when the sound of footsteps woke him. It couldn't have been more than five minutes. After he'd scaled down the outside of the motel he'd run as fast as he could without a destination. After ten minutes of winding through the unfamiliar streets his strength abandoned him and he ducked into an alley, collapsing behind a crate, panting heavily. He'd leaned his head back against the wall telling himself that he'd just rest for a minute and unconsciousness claimed him. As the footsteps approached he opened his eyes wearily and glared. 'Bastard followed me…' His eyes fell upon his bag dangling in the man's hand and he would have slammed his fist into the wall for his own stupidity at forgetting it if he had the strength. He hadn't been thinking properly.

Vash stared down at him, his slightly wide eyes following the contours of the boy's face. He had her eyes, her heart shaped face, her mouth… Noah looked so much like the woman in the photograph, yet so different. He even wore the same ill-tempered expression she'd so often directed at him. It made Vash's heart ache to look at him but couldn't look away. He had to ask even though he already knew the answer. Even though he could guess the reason behind the boy's hate filled glare he had to know for sure.

As he struggled for words the photograph flashed through his mind. A petite woman with black hair and gray eyes hugging a much younger Noah from behind and smiling. Her smile was brilliant, but he'd seen the sadness in those eyes and he knew he was the cause of it.

"You're last name is Stryfe, isn't it?" He only answer was a glare.

Blue: Yes I know this chapter is a little short, but it felt finished. I'm already working on chapter three. Please review!


End file.
